Only Human
by xfallenangel13x
Summary: Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect citizen of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen and obey. After all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong. But, only when one experiment goes awry, will they realize how wrong they are. (A/Y)
1. Prologue

**This first chapter is going to be very short. Actually, it's really just a prologue. So that's cool.**

**I've already got part of chapter one written up, so you guys hopefully wont have to wait too long.**

**This is my Halloween story, though it isn't really all that horrifyingly festive/scary. XD**

**Deal. :P**

* * *

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Prologue ~_**

* * *

I am a freak.

It is what I have been told my entire life.

I am a freak. Unnatural. Unloved.

I do not belong.

I am not human. Yet, I am, at the same time.

Monstrous, yet angelic. Worthless, but also priceless. Nameless, although I have a name. Without a gender, even though I am male. I have no purpose, yet _They_ ramble on about my 'Kind', and how it will change the "_very fabric of modern society_", whatever that means. I do not belong, yet They say that my place is here. In the Facility.

I am confused.

I am lonely.

It is nothing new. Because I do not matter in Their eyes.

Maybe... I do in yours?

My name is not important, because neither am I. Only my Purpose - a Fate I know I will have no control over, try as I might. Yet... what _is_ my Purpose? I it something I can take when others are not looking? Will someone _give_ it to me? Must I make one for myself? Or do I have to earn it? When will I have it? A time to be; a time to exist.

Only... I already exist. Don't I?

I exist in today. Now. I breathe oxygen, I blink my eyelids, twitch and move and feel emotion. I smile when I am happy. I cry when I am sad. I dream when I sleep.

I have two legs, two arms, a pair of eyes, ans a set of ears. I have hair that grows and skin that hurts anr blood that flows when I am cut. Lungs that breathe, a heart that beats, and a brain that functions.

I am alive. I can feel. I exist. But I also _cannot_. I _am_ not.

My name holds no significance nor meaning, because neither do I. Because I am nothing. Except... I am also something.

I am Specimen _Six-Four-U-G_. A simple collection of living data.

And I am a freak.

Still... I am only human.

* * *

**How's that? Like it? I personally had a lot of fun writing it! It's an entirely new style for me.**

**I hope to have an actual _chapter _put up within the next couple days, but you can never truly be sure. What, with school and the like. :P**

* * *

**Tell me what you think!**


	2. I

**Okay, I've had this chapter written out for a few days. Chapter two is in-the-works right now, as well as chapter ten for _Metamorphosis_. One of the only reasons you guys are seeing this today, on a Monday, no less, is because I'm at home and sick as a dog. TT~TT**

**But, oh well.**

**I look to fanart, fanfiction, and my two beloved kitty cats for comfort. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter I ~_**

* * *

The Room was Dark. It is always Dark. It is Black. I see nothing from inside of the Room. Not even myself. Sometimes, I close my eyes, and pretend that _I _am the Dark, waiting for my Other to appear. The Light. Then, I can make-believe that _I _am the Light, instead. It is full of Color- something I know very little about. My surroundings, the Facility, are either Dark or Light- Black or White. There is very little Gray. Very little _anything_, for that matter.

As I lay on the ground, pretending to myself to swirl and conceal like the Dark around me, I hear noises. There are footsteps. My eyes blink. I think they are open, but it is too Black around my body for me to tell properly. _Someone is approaching_, I realize, and quickly close them again.

Someone was coming to the Room.

I did not like it when They came to the Room. My Room.

My Prison.

When someone of the Outside comes to my Room, they came bearing gifts. Not the good gifts, that are accompanied with smiles and joy and Light. The bad kind. The kind that brings sad faces and water in my eyes and Darkness. I don't know _what _to call those. Because I certainly _do _know that they do not make me happy. Not in the slightest.

I hear noise, and, suddenly, there is Light. Blinding, bright, beautiful Light. I am facing a wall this time. A wall that surrounds and confines and produces the Darkness. And me. They entrap me, too. Me, and my only friends.

The Dark, the Light, and Myself.

I hear more footsteps, and my eyes flutter open to halfway. They stop, an estimated few paces away. I blink. the dazzling Light disrupting my oh-so depraved eyes. It was hauntingly beautiful. It brought both freedom and pain.

"Subject six-four-U-G," the person recited with a metallic, unfeeling tone, "Rise."

I did.

My feet moved without thought. They always did. Because it was why I was created. Not born. Never born. Always created. Crafted. Manufactured. Made of donated, voluntary cells and DNA. Conceived inside a series of scientific calculations and testing tubes. Born into the world as I am.

Nothing more than a living experiment.

I turned to him. My Creator. My Master.

He was tall- much taller than me- with hair that was roundly shaped over his head. Bangs cut closely above his eyes, styled neatly with a severity that only made him look intimidating. It was... I believe it is known as 'Brown'. It is different from the Light and Darkness that serves eternally as my Prison- my severely-limited World. It is pretty. But, his eyes are prettier. They are bright. They are cold. Yet, they are also Light. Tinted Light. Tinted in sky.

Blue.

I like Blue. It makes me think of the existence known as 'sky', of which I have never before seen. Merely been told of.

My Master is passive. Not mean, but also not kind. He blinks to me. His back turns to my eyes.

"Follow me."

I do.

My bare feet lift and fall in an automated step.

It is the trait all Subjects hold. We are unable to deny a request our Superiors make.

As payment for the life we are given, each Subject is trained to obey and comply to the wishes of our Masters and Mistresses. Our Creators.

Our Gods.

I am Subject 64UG. I do not know what this means, nor any significance it may hold. Though, I highly doubt it does. I have been told, time and time again, what I am.

A freak.

A monster.

A demon.

A revelation.

A 'breakthrough in modern-day technology.' Though I am unaware of what this all means. But I _do _know that I have no worth. No future. My very life is a gift- a privilege. But, then again... is that not what all life is to begin with? Manufactured, or otherwise? I suppose not... because I know what I am.

I am completely replaceable.

But I do not agree.

Though I might have been made as different, I am still life. _They_ say I am nothing. But how could I truly be _nothing_? At the least, I most surely am _something_. A breathing, bleeding, living something. I am 64UG.

I am _me_.

"If I am me, how can I be nothing?" My voice works without my conscious consent. It surprises me, but I hide it. I stare ahead as my Superior glances to me with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and disapproval. I tighten my posture in nervousness.

I was not given permission to speak. I have gone against the wishes of my Masters.

_Rule five: Do not speak unless granted permission or directly spoken to,_ my head recites one of many laws appointed to my life's educate.

"What do you mean by this?" Master inquires, facing forward again.

I bite my bottom lip gently. "I mean what I meant," I reply quietly, feeling unsure, "If I am me, how can I truly be nothing? If I am me, I most certainly am _something_, aren't I, Sir?"

_Rule seventeen: All Creators are Superior, and shall be treated and addressed to as such._

He does not reply in a way of solving my personal inquiry. He simply leads a way down the sterile, blindingly White halls. The White both hurts and comforts my eyes with its stimulation.

"Master?" I murmur hesitantly.

"Speak."

"May I question as to where we are going?"

He paused again.

"There is a group of students visiting the Facility as a learning experience through the residential school. You are a part of this experience, via demonstration and inquiry," he eventually grants my answer.

I look to the square-tiled floor in contemplation, my bare feet making curious noises when the struck the ground, when compared to Master's. "Sir?" I mumbled again, hoping I wouldn't strike his temper.

There was a miniscule sigh. "Speak," he allowed.

I bit my lip again. "What is 'school'?"

"It is a place where children go to learn."

"Is it like the Facility?"

"In some ways, yes. In others, no."

His tone is a clear indication that he wishes for me to stop talking, so I remain silent this time. But I am still curious.

I wonder. I wonder how many Superiors will be there. Will they be nice? Mean? Old, or young? What will they look like? What will I be demonstrating? What questions will they ask? How am I to answer? How long will I be here? Will I have to partake in Experiments?

Inwardly, I shiver.

I hate Experiments. Tests. They often make me hurt, or feel funny afterwards. I do not know why the Creators preform these Tests. Perhaps they are misled in some way about them? Or are they really meant to feel nice? Am I mistaking pain for pleasure?

Is there something wrong with my head?

Maybe I am falling ill.

We stop at a simple, hinged doorway, and I lower my gaze, hands folding one another at my front. I close my eyes. Before we enter, however, my Superior leans closer. "You had better keep those thoughts to yourself, for the time-being, U-G," he graciously advises into my ear, "Those questions can be dangerous. You can get into much-unwanted trouble."

_Rule number one-hundred-six: Keep questions to oneself unless requested to specify by a Superior,_ I noted in my head, adding another lay to a numerous mental list of its predecessors. I nodded my understanding. "_Hai_, Sir. I shall refrain."

"Good."

And, with that, he pushed open the door, and led our way inside.

* * *

**Eh. Not _all _too pleased with this one, but I still like it. :)**

**I hope you do, as well!**

* * *

**ALSO: To those know reviewed on the Prologue, thank you so much! I was so happy reading them! ^^**

* * *

**Review? :)**


	3. II

**HEYYY people. I finally has chapter 10 of _Metamorphosis _and the _Rage _chapter for _Shattered _all finished up! You should hopefully be seeing them within the next couple of days.**

**Also, I have a new idea for a much more Halloween-like Halloween story. Should I post it, or keep with the stuff I've already got, THEN post it after they're done?**

* * *

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter II ~_**

* * *

The first thing I notice is the Color.

These people are bright. Colorful. Different.

Like me. I am different. Everyone is different.

It is the one thing all creatures have that is the same.

They are different.

The next thing my brain registers was that I was not alone. There were others here. Other Specimens. And other Superiors. I feel the emotion of happiness as I recognize the faces of my fellowship.

_17JE_.

He is older than me. Created before me. His hair is warm and soft had long. It is... yellow? No- _blonde. _That was what They called it. Blonde. His eyes looked like honey.

_23MI._

I have heard the male population of Superiors call her things such as 'voluptuous', or 'hot'. It is bizarre. She does not look hot. But she does not look cold, either. And, though she has the shapes and curves I see that the female Superiors also have, only larger, I do not think the word... I believe it was 'sexy', as an appropriate title for her. Or attractive. Those refer to her outward appearance. Granted, M-I is _very _pretty outside. But inside- her characteristics, her personality- she is beautiful. She is kind and helpful. Like a mother- something all we Subjects are cursed to never have.

A Mother.

A Father.

A Family.

But the Subjects _are_ my family. In all but bloodlines, they are family. They are my Siblings.

The Superiors are Parents. They Created us, after all. Created me. My Kind. My Fate. My Life.

Do They also Create my Purpose?

When will They give it to me? Show me I belong? Let me know that I am more than a living Experiment. Confirm that I am not nothing, but something.

When will I have this?

Will I ever?

The many new faces look to me curiously. I see one, in particular, that engrosses and _commands _for my attention. It is Dark and alluring, with sharp... intimidating points and curves. He is dressed in a curious uniform that all male Visitors were wearing. It made my simple, colorless jumpsuit look dull and lifeless, compared to the deep, rich Blue. But what I was caught most by were his eyes. They we're firey-scarlet. Bloody Red. So... Colorful.

Absolutely beautiful.

"This is Subject six-four-U-G." My introduction was simple and uncaring, spoken by a young woman of what I am guessing was foreign descent. She had dark eyes, like flint, and equally shadowed hair, fastened up into two severe buns, before the tied-back hair draped down her back to touch her waist. She was not Japanese, like myself, from what I could tell.

"Game?" someone spoke up. It was the Red-eyed man. I blinked at him, thoroughly entranced.

"No," she corrected, "_U_-_G_, not _yuugi_. Subjects are identified by serial codes, nothing more. They do not have names."

"Why not?" another questioned.

My Mistress glanced down to me, impassive and cold. "Enlighten them," she ordered simply. I swallowed with anxiety. I did not like this woman. She was hateful.

"Sp-Specimens are lower beings, and are to be treated as such," I recited. My ears made the words leaving me sound robotic and empty. Not living. But that is not possible, because I _am_ alive.

I live in Today.

"To enforce cooperation and compliance to our Creators, our higher powers, we are willingly kept from extreme personalization and will undergo regular behavioral modifications if it is seen fit for the situation or situations at-hand. Contact between Specimens is limited, in order to avoid quarrel and disharmony between Superiors and Subjects, alike. We are identified by specific serial codes to further instill this practice of order."

I bit my lip before continuing.

"We are nothing more than a living experiment. We are at ease with this fact... and are h-happy with this lifestyle." I put a smile on my face, but it felt wrong and unnatural. Corrupted. Incomplete.

Because it was.

A lies wrapped in plastic smiles, and manufactured joy.

Mistress glared at my falter. It took much of my will not to cringe. She was displeased.

_Rule thirty-four: Complete satisfaction to the Creators is a must._

I have broken another rule.

"With all due respect, Ma'am," the one with bloody eyes spoke again, "But that doesn't sound at all ethical." I blink at him again, feeling my skin tingle pleasantly. His voice is deep and mysterious. Elegant and regal and beyond logical comparison. "In fact, it sounds downright _cruel, _if you ask me." His gaze narrows a fraction, and I stiffen as it turns towards my form. I quickly cast my line of vision to the floor.

My face feels... warm.

Why is my heart beating so fast?

I see, out of the edges of my vision, my Mistress's posture stiffen minisculely. On instinct, I try to shrink in on myself, shoulders pulling up, arms folding in behind my back. My hands grip each other, and I imagine one of them as belonging to another. Like the crimson-eyed boy in front of me. It brings me an odd sense of security. I see 17JE look to me in mild concern from his peripheral vision. This particular woman always had seemed to hold a certain... disliking towards me in the past. There have been a few occasions where she has struck me for no (in my mind, at least) good reason.

She was hateful.

She frightens me.

"Might I ask your name, young man?" Her sickly-sweet voice is a lie laced in venom. I silently hope that the alluring Visitor is spared from the brunt of her rage.

"Kokuo Atemu, Miss," he replied evenly. I feel my body give an uninvoluntary shiver. Such a mysterious name. It was practically seductive, and did not sound of Japanese origins, like the one he had used when directing the conversation towards me, earlier.

_Yuugi._

_Play._

_Game._

It fits.

For I am nothing more than the game in which my Creators play for amusement. Experiments, Tests, Modifications, pain, confusion, loneliness.

I hate it.

The word is bitter and powerful. More so than I had ever imagined a word could be.

Hate.

_No more,_ my head murmurs, resilient and rebellious. _No more._

Superiors.

Subjects.

All are humans.

But to _Them, _our Life... our Existence, our _Purpose_, is _nothing_. No more than a Game in which to pass the time. To entertain Them. And, somehow, somewhere in my heart, I know it will stay this was if left docile. They will not give me my Purpose. Because if They did, They would loose control over me. Over Us. Those They tormented, day-in and day-out. My brows furrow with these musings.

If They will not _give _me my Purpose, then I will _take_ it for my own.

"Ah, yes," the Woman- not my Mistress, for she does not deserve such a title- sighs. "Akunumkanon-san's son. Your father works in the Rehabilitation division, does he not?"

"_Hai_."

"Well, then, Atem-kun," she hisses, "I assure you that what we do is quite the opposite of cruel. Without us, these _things_-" I tense with anger, and see MI and JE do the same, "-before you would have never _existed._ We are their Masters. Their Gods. I would only consider what they do for us as a fair payment, yes? In fact, we are still gifted them, this very moment."

I see the boy, known as Atemu, raise a brow skeptically. "How so?"

The Woman smirked. "We give them a purpose for an otherwise meaningless existence."

"Through slavery?" The voice was cold, laced in a heavy, hidden challenge.

I saw her stiffen in anger. Dark eyes flashed. "Through the privilege of assisting a higher cause," she prompted.

She _lied._

"If it weren't for these Specimens, you would not have your everyday objects, like cosmetics or medications. Your advanced technology. They would be even more of a _waste of space_ than they _already are_."

I look up, blinking widely. The comment sent a pain into my chest. I glance to JE, and he does the same to me. I see both hurt and outrage in his honey eyes. "They are experiments that just-so-happen to have the ability to move. They _are_ nothing. They _feel_ nothing."

She is deceitful. I will take my Purpose.

"You're wrong."

All eyes turn to me. My own blink in astonishment, and a hand rises to cover my lips that had worked without conscious consent, like before. I gaze up, seeing wide stares, wary gazes, and a spiteful glare turned in my direction. The Woman is full of ire, cheeks flushing red.

"_What_, did you say?" she demands icily, and I want to shake. But I do not.

I will take my Purpose. _Now._

My hand falls away from my lips, and I turn to face her more directly. I ignore the Blue-eyed man's warning gaze. "Y-You are wrong," I manage again. It was taking all my strength not to cower at her feet, before that hating gaze.

I swallowed my nerves, forcing both my lungs and legs to regulate in their functions. "I-I... I am n-not nothing," I tell her, "You have been severely misled. I am something. _We_ are something." I see JE and MI look at me in shock, worry, and wonderment. "We... W-We think. We feel. We live. All of us."

"Be _silent_," she ordered briskly, voice tight.

I frown. "_I-Iie_! I will not!" My persistent defiance is obviously surprising for them. I feel a tingle of satisfaction. "I-I am something! I am me! I have a Purpose- we all do. I am taking mine now, a-and I know that it is not t-to be yo-your _slave_!

"What you do to us causes pain. We can feel it. We feel emotion. I laugh and smile when happy. I cry when sad, or scared. I see pictures in my head as I dream when I am asleep. I know we all feel the pain of your words and your Experiments. You are not _Gods_! You are _Devils_! _You_ are the monsters! _You_ are the demons, not _I_! Not _us_!"

"_Specimen_!" the one which led me here snapped, "Be _silent_! That is an _**order**_!"

"**_No_**!" I rebelled, fists clenching, "_You_ be silent! I am _not_ a _Specimen_! I am **_Yuugi_**!"

The woman motioned sharply to a guard. "Take it to the Behavioral Modification chambers at once!" Several of the Visitors watching squealed in surprise and fear as a large, hulking man whom had been standing docile at the side of the room stomped forward. He approached me with vicious intent, and it sent my fight-or-flight instincts haywire.

As I went to step back, away from this threatening man, his hand shot out and gripped my wrist. I grimace with a noise of my pain and distress. The hand is like iron, and I fear the bone within my flesh will break. On a high of instinct, fear, adrenaline, and outrage, I pull back my free hand.

**_SLAP!_**

My palm is hot and tingly after meeting with the man's cheek. I am panting with effort and epinephrine and anger. "Do not touch me, _bastard._"

They are staring, jaws open, and eyes wide. I feel a rush of triumph.

It is cut short by a firm strike to the back of my skull. It dazes and imbalances me. I feel pain shriek its way down my spine. I let out a groan of agony as the world tilts and spins nauseatingly. My legs do not comply with the mental order to remain sturdy, causing them to buckle. I felt the cold ground move to embrace my limp form as Existence dangerously swirled with Darkness when my head struck the tile. I hear my two friends- my Family, my Siblings- cry out in fear, but I can not make out their words. There were hands- cruel, cold, unforgiving, torturing hands- gripping at my arms and shoulders.

"Put _it_ in confinement in the Rehabilitation sector. Prepare for a full mind-sweep procedure," the hateful woman rambled, leering at me in spite. I glared right back, though my vision was blurred and distorted. "And send the others straight to their Rooms. Give any other disobedients the same treatment as _this one. _Our presentation will be postponed for a later date."

Her sharp nails are suddenly gripping at my chin as our Visitors, along with JE and MI, are ushered quickly from the room. I try to catch a final, lingering glance of Atemu. I see a resilient flash of red, before the boy is shoved forcibly from the room. Nails dug painfully into my skin, forcing me to look to the Woman's eyes. "And what do you have to say for yourself, insolent roach?"

I grinned in a lazy, reckless abandon. I tell her my exact thoughts at that moment.

I spat in her face, and snarled. "_Burn in Hell._"

I was struck again, and reality was snatched away.

All was Dark...

* * *

**I am against anti-climatic stories in the early-on stages.**

**So, do you guys see what I did? XD 6/4 is Yuugi's birthday, and _UG _relatively sounds a bit like _yuugi_. So yup! You've got Yuugi!**

**The "Woman" is Vivan Wong. The blue-eyed man is Seto Kaiba. 17JE is Jounouchi. 23MI is Mai. :)**

* * *

**R&R Please?**


	4. III

**Yeah... you guys are probably going to hate me a little bit with this chapter. But I swear to you, it's necessary.**

**I'm going to see if I can't get Chpt. IV up today, as well. Maybe if this chapter gets a good response, I'll be motivated enough to type it up...**

**Atem: **_Are you black-mailing your readers into giving reviews?_

**Kind of. Even if I don't, I'll still probably type it.**

**It's the posting you've got to worry about! ^w^**

* * *

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter III ~_**

* * *

Cold.

Restraint.

Confusion.

Bound.

Bound to a cold, hard surface. Over my wrists. Trapping my ankles. Embracing my hips. Caressing my throat.

Stuck.

Trapped.

**_Where_**_ am I? _**_What_**_ am I? _**_Who_**_ am I_?

_Painpainpainpainpainithurts.._.

"Let me go..." a broken voice whimpers. Is it my own? My face feels wet. Am I crying? "Please, let me go... I... I feel... it... hurts...!"

Sharp. Cold. Wounds. Blood. Pain.

"Pl... Please..."

There is a face. Wrapped in a cacoon of sterile Whiteness. I see Dark skin. Hazel eyes, aged and regretful. "I am sorry, U-G," he murmurs to me.

UG... is that my name?

_Mind-sweep_. Also called the _Clean-Slate Process_.

The process of wiping one's head of all memories.

Repressing them, to some unknown place.

Never meant to be remembered. _Ever again_.

It hurts.

I take a shuddering breath. "I... am Yu...Yuugi..." I insist, teeth clenching to hold back a noise. A sob, or a scream, I did not know. "I am... m-me... I'm something..."

The eyes turn so very, very sad.

"_I...ta...i..._"

"I know. I'm sorry."

_Painpainpainpainmakeitstoppleasestop.._.

_No more.._.

I feel feeble. Weak.

"_Do... Doshite_?"

He does not answer. Merely casts away his hazel gaze. I wonder if another me- for it is what they would be, in this situation- has ever asked him that before.

_Why_?

Why are they doing this? Why am I here? Why do I deserve this? Why can I not be an individual? Why can I not be me?

Why can't I _belong_?

I hate Them.

I try to raise my arm, but the restraint over my elbow does not give way. My chest rises from the cold table ever-so-slightly. A gentle, firm palm applies pressure until I rest again.

"L-Let... Let me go..." I beseech quietly, a sob escaping my constricted throat. "I-I... I don't want to f-forget..."

I hate Them.

I hope They burn. Burn in the hottest fires of Hell. Like They all deserve.

_HatehatehatehatehateburnIhateyouIhateyougorotawayi nHell.._.

"H-Hate... you..." I groan weakly, angrily, "... I-I _hate_... you _all_."

Then there was agony. White-hot pain, up and down my body. Jolting across my nerves. Seizing in my muscles. Burning in my blood. Melting my mind. And I could feel _it_. My memories leaving... My... my...!

Begging words. Bloodcurdling screams. They hurt in my head.

Is this... all Existence is? This boiling, molten agony, shocking through every vein. This hatred harboring into my soul.

What is happening to me? What are They doing?

_I hate Them._

I hold fast to that one fact. The one thing I want to keep.

_My name... is Yuugi... and I _**_hate_** _Them_...

I hate Them _so much_.

I feel weightless, and the screaming has long-since stopped. My throat hurts. My _everything_ hurts. Arms are around me. Cradling me. I give in to it. I let it move me, because _I_ hurt to much to move me, myself. So, I simply stare ahead, unseeing, water over my cheeks.

I am brought to a place that is strange. There are eyes trained on me.

I am set carefully onto the hard floor, and the door is closed. I cannot see well. There is very little Light in this place. I shudder and cough and roll to my side, folding in on myself. Agony danced in a sickening tempo up and down my spine. I go limp, before I hear cautious noises approaching me. Feet.

"UG...?" a frightened voice whispered, "... Yu... Y-Yuugi?"

I tensed slightly as hands- light, caring, gentle hands- turn me to my back, cradling my body again, my throbbing head rested in the crook of an elbow. A grimace formed over my face. "_I... Itai..._" I whimper.

The arms tensed slightly. "Yuugi, look at me," the voice requests softly.

I do.

I look up to the voice, and the body it inhabits. There are faces peering down at me, worried and pale. "Yuugi, do you remember me?"

I blink. The person is tall, I can tell. He has messy tresses that seems to almost... glow. It is long, and drapes in front of his eyes like a curtain. His gaze was warm and sweet, like a liquid jewel. His face was hopeful, almost desperate, but there was a certain... aloofness, a mischief, in his posture.

I have never seen him before in my entire life.

A woman placed hand over his should, as j felt my consciousness give a threatening sway into Oblivion. I want to sleep...

"It's no use, JE," I heard a voice, slightly distorted, murmur thickly. "He's been Wiped clean..."

_JE... what a bizarre name.._.

My eyelids droop. "It hurts..." I mutter again. I do not know what, or why it hurts. I do not even know what _it _is. It just _does_. And I hate it. Even when docile, my entire being throbbed. My head felt like it was going to explode.

"I know, bud... I-I'm so sorry..." the one holding me murmured, hugging my body close. Why should he be so sad?

"I hate Them..." I breath. allowing my being to relax into soothing body-heat. "I hate Them all... I hope They go to Hell..."

The ones surrounding me seem distressed by my confession, but I pay no heed. For Darkness is enveloping me. Calling to my mind. Protecting me with the promising escape of slumber. I give in to it.

_Guard me, sweet Darkness..._ I encourage silently, _Keep me safe._

I can feel it stir, hastening to my request. Covering my soul in a sheet of empty, ebony relief. _Brilliant Darkness... Be my keeper..._

_Protect me... Yami.._.

* * *

**I had feels when writing this... But I say it was worth it... *small, manly, woman-tear***

**But I serious WOULD like some feedback on this chapter. And the next. I'm pretty unsure on how they play out. I would REALLY appreciate some criticism.**

**Like I've said many times, it motivates me.**

**Like... you have no idea, brotatoes.**

* * *

**Review, pwease? *gives cookie***


	5. IV

**Here's that second update I promised! ^^**

* * *

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter IV ~_**

* * *

Subject 17JE stared down at his little friend, quiet and slumbering, in his arms. 23MI's hand tightened over his shoulder as the blonde-haired boy adjusted 64UG... no, _Yuugi_, to hold him more comfortably. His fingers moved, gingerly wiping the leftover tears from the smaller teenager's face. His chest and throat constricted painfully with emotion.

"He doesn't _remember_ me..." he whispered, "He doesn't remember his _best friend_."

He and Yuugi had been 'born', so to speak, about half a year apart, he being January twenty-fifth, his companion on the sixth of June. They had gone through Facility training and behavioral classes together, even shared a Room through mid-childhood, into early adolescence. He had protect his '_little buddy_' from those who had the nerve to bully him.

17JE had been the one Yuugi went to when he was feeling off-kilter. But he'd also been the one the older Subject had gone to for advice. Despite their extremely-limited knowledge of the world outside of the Facility, the short boy had always been unbelievably wise.

Word of the Swiped Specimen's defiance to their Superiors had quickly sweapt through the Facility, Creator and Experiment, alike. They had _seen_ Yuugi's unconscious body being dragged down those damned hallways to the most feared place within the Facility, some four hours before.

The Modification Center.

The place where, once you went in, you were never the same when you came out. Ever again. And JE has _seen_ it, as well. He had seen it within unresponsive, purple eyes. There had been no spark of recognition in his best friend's gaze when it had looked upon him, carefully scrutinizing every feature through pain-glazed amethyst.

He had also _heard_ it. 17JE would not have been surprised, in the _slightest_, if the entirety of the Facility had heard it.

Those God-awful screams. Shrill, bloodcurdling cries for mercy. The blonde shuddered, embracing his unconscious friend closer, as if to protect him from the phantom cries. As if he were dead, rather than sleeping. Tears pricked at amber eyes.

_"Stop!" _the wails echoed in his head, just as they had echoed down the halls. _"No! Stop! Make it stop! Itai! Itai! __**ITAI**__!_"

A mangled sob left JE's throat. He felt MI embrace him from behind, shivering against his back with tears.

_"__**I don't want to forget**__!_"

It had all been incoherent screaming after that. Haunting, tormented, sobbing shrieks. JE shivered, and clenched his jaw, eyes squeezing shut.

He had heard that the Mind-Sweep process was painful. But never before had Specimen 17JE heard such _ungodly_ noises as a result. Or in general. What did Yuugi _do_ that was so wrong, that he would deserve to make such sounds? Sounds that did not deserve to be ripped from the lungs of one so gentle, so kindhearted, so trusting. So _innocent_.

_He tried to be himself_.

_That_ was his crime.

He tried to _belong_.

_"I hate Them..." _The sentence bounced around the blonde Experiment's head like a ricocheted bullet. _"I hope They go to Hell._"

He never thought he'd see the day when _Subject 64UG_ would utter such violent, bitter words unto someone. Wishing someone death. Wishing them to suffer, even after they had crossed over to the afterlife. To hope they felt nothing other than torment.

JE found himself wishing for the same thing.

But Yuugi had _never_ held a grudge before. Not even towards those who had once bullied and belittled him. It wasn't _like_ him.

But... then again...

Those bastards had _destroyed_ his friend, all that he was, the moment They had dared to tamper with his precious memories.

Yuugi didn't remember him. He didn't remember _anything_.

All he knew now, was the hatred he held for the Creators.

JE let his eyes open, and drift over Yuugi's limp, resting form. His simple, white, full-body jumpsuit had several tears in it. There was a large one over his midsection. The visible skin was red and inflamed, chafed to the point of breaking. The same marks were ringed around several points over his limbs. Ankle, wrists, elbows and knees. His throat, as well. All irritated, and swollen, some even containing tiny, bleeding cuts. No doubt from thrashing against braced, metal restraints, as his friend had all that he was wrongfully stolen away.

He was no longer_ Specimen 64UG_.

Nor was he _Yuugi_.

JE didn't know who, or _what_, his friend was. Not anymore.

Just a lost, nameless soul.

The Subject bowed his head, tears falling while the boy in his arms remained blissfully unaware, lost inside of the ignorance deep sleep brought him.

"He isn't _him_ anymore..." the blonde choked incoherently, "H-He isn't who he is..."

23MI hugged him tightly, as the two mourned over their dear friend's loss.

Because he could no longer remember what is _was_ that he no longer had.

* * *

**Angst and feels. :(**

**Sorry if this was boring, or confusing, or whatever. I hope you guys liked it XD**

**On to Chapter V! :D**

* * *

**R&R please.**


	6. V

**Here's where the 'supernatural' part comes in.**

**I've hit a great inspirational chain with this story! I've already got chapters up to eight written up! I just need to find the time to type and post... ^^;**

**Oh, I've also put the finishing touches on the plot... And, well... for the ending...?**

**Let's just say I've changed the genre to "tragedy" for a reason. o.o;**

* * *

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter V ~_**

* * *

It hurts.

It _still_ hurts.

That is what I first realize when I surface into consciousness.

Everything _hurts_.

I feel hot, yet cold shivers are wracking my body.

I am dizzy, but my senses seem to be hypersensitive.

I want to stay awake, but my head is telling me to sleep.

There is a voice

"UG!" it croons, almost desperately, "UG! Are you with me, child?"

_U... G... Who is... U-G?_ I wonder. My eyes squint open. I see... hazel eyes... It makes something in the back of my head _**throb**_.

I _know_ this man.

But I also do not.

Confusion plagues me. Why do I feel as if... something is... missing? There is a sort of... a _pressure_, almost, in the back of my brain. Some irritating, niggling sense in my subconscious, that calls me to remember. But I _can't_.

"Are you... one of _Them_?" I rasp, my throat feeling as if I have swallowed many small, sharp blades.

The man with hazel eyes blinks. Then they _understand_. They become sad. So very, very sad. "Yes," he answers, "But I wish I wasn't. I am so sorry, young one."

I shudder and cough, eyes narrowing on him. "Where... am I? Why are you here?" My voice is cold and stiff. I let my hate for any of _his_ Kind be fully known.

"You're sick, UG. Very sick."

"I am _Yuugi_. Do not call me by your misguided codes."

"I'm sorry... Yuugi."

I glare at him more. I can hear the Darkness again, calling to me. Hissing a sweet lullaby into my ear. Sending me back to sleep.

"I hate you," I tell him in a growl.

He is silent for a moment before he whispers. "... I know."

_**Sleep**_, the Darkness beseeches, _**Sleep**_.

So I do. I close my stinging eyes, and fall back to merciful slumber.

* * *

**_Little One_**, a presence murmurs to me. To my mind.**_ Little One. Little Master._**

I remain unresponsive, my eyes closed. I do not want to wake. Waking hurts. But right now, I am floating. Hovering, in a shrowd of lukewarm clouds and mists. They numb the pain. They comfort me.

_**Master**_, the presence whispers again, _**Speak to me with your Mind.**_

_... My... mind? _I muse, puzzled.

**_Yes..._** The _s_ is smooth, and drawn out. Like a seductive hiss. I gasp quietly at the response, a strange, electric feeling sparking through my motionless body.

_What... Who... are you?_ I question, timidity and a small twinge of fear pulling at my thoughts.

_**Fret not, Master,**_ it replies, **_I am here per your request_**.

_Mine?_

**_Yes. I am your Keeper._**

_The... the Darkness?_

**_Correct_**_._

_B-But... _**_how_**_?_

**_You called to me in your time of need, when your mind was at its weakest, and most open to other, metaphysical forces. You know none but your name, and the hatred towards those who imprison you. You are frightened. I have heeded to your call, sweet Light. I will protect you_**.

_How? _I repeated, _How will you be able to protect me? __Why__ did you come to me_?

I feel it stir, that presence. It smirked.

**_I have not come across one powerful enough to speak with me for many centuries. Not since the time of the Pharaohs._**

_Pharaoh..._? What a strange terminology.

There was a sound, like a sigh intermingled with a chuckle. **_So very naïve,_** the deep voice purred, _**So innocent, the Light of your soul, my Little One. It is absolutely**_** delectable**.

A shiver traveled down my body, warm and tingly. This presence... I can't even _begin_ to describe it. It is hot, like fire, but cold, as Darkness should be. Mysterious, yet familiar. Dangerous, but also my heralding angel. It is the thing, the creature, the _person_, I have never met. But it is what has been by my side through the entirety of my life.

He is a Devil.

He is a God.

My Protector.

But also, quite possibly...

My Tormentor.

Shadows. Darkness.

**_Yami_**.

I feel a hand wisp over my cheek. I open my eyes. I see an achingly-familiar plane of sharp, defined facial features. Angular chin, delicate nose, slightly-prominent cheek bones. Pale skin. Wild hair. A cocky, yet somehow caring smirk. Blazing, narrow, intense, _beautiful_ crimson eyes. Something I have seen before. So different from myself.

But I know it is the face of someone I have never met. Not once.

Then why, oh _why_, do I feel such a sense of overwhelming familiarity?

He is strong. He is confident. He is unique. Not like myself.

So _weak_. Not like _him_.

He is the Darkness

"Correction, Yuugi," he speaks, baritone voice sending my heart a-flutter. "I am _your_ Darkness."


	7. VI

**FIRST OFF:**

**My Gods, i AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!  
**

**I unfortunately don't have a laptop to upload from anymore, so chapter/story update will be dramatically slow. BUT I WILL NOT ABANDON MY STORIES. I PROMISE.**

**While I was gone, I REALLY excelled in _Only Human_ and its chapters. I'm all the way up to _chapter XV!_**

**Proud of me? :3**

**Also! AWESOME news! I'm entering the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) competition, and I'm using Only Human as my novel!**

**For those of you who are unaware, the competition is to create a 50k+ novel, be it fiction, fanfiction, memoir, ect., before November 30th! If you're chosen as a winner, you get a prize, or can even have your novel published!**

**I don't think I'll make the time, but it'll be fun, right? Nothing says "inspiration" like a little competition! :D**

**Check out this website. Type it in your browser:**

** www. nanowrimo. org**

* * *

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter VI ~  
_**

* * *

I did not know how much time passed before my awareness resurfaced. Focusing on my surroundings without the aid of sight, I reached out to feel him. To feel his presence in my head. It was there - thick, heavy, and chilled, like a fog. Barely tangible between my fingers. By my side. I gave a tiny noise of fatigue and strain. A small twinge of pain still remained in my body, and it radiated like something toxic in my bloodstream, giving me a mild headache. However, it was much more subdued than the last time I had awoken in this place.

My eyes squint open. I see little-to-no difference in my newly-discovered surroundings, when it is compared to the lids of my closed eyes. It is still unrealistically dark. I see nothing but blackness. I sit up, though there was nothing for me to sit up from. Not really. Just an empty plane of nothing. I look around, and it is that nothing which I see, all around me, for endless existences beyond my form. He is not there, yet he is, at the same time. I can sense him. His protective aura.

Glancing to the right, then to the left, only Shadows stretching before me. I drew my tongue over my chapped lips to wet and soothe them. "Ya... Yami?" I murmur, hesitant and apprehensive. I did not feel comfortable breaking this ancient-feeling silence that blanketed so heavily in this strange world beyond the Light. Suddenly, at my back, I felt a tiny, whispered breeze. It was ice-cold, and sent a tremor down my spine, as what felt like a lukewarm breath passed over the skin of my exposed neck. It sent gooseflesh over my arms. I know that he has heeded to my call.

"Yes, Little One?" his deep baritone voice practically purred.

I swallowed, forcing my own tone to remain steady. "Yami," I say again. "Do you know where I am?"

"Yes," he chuckled, but said no more. I sighed quietly, both amused and irritated by his teasing.

"...Care to _elaborate_?"

"Not particularly..."

Sigh... "_Onegai_?"

His form dissolved, before I witnessed as it billowed past my body like a choking smog. It hovered, docile, for a moment at my front, before two bright embers of red lit from the smoky substance. Tendrils expanded and writhed like some sort of beast, only to manifest into the figure that was - by his previous statement an unknown time before - my Darkness.

He was the Other Me.

"This," he state, gesturing to the vast nothing with a nonchalant, yet elegant wave, "Is the plane of your Mind, Yuugi."

"My mind?" I echoed blankly.

Why was it so... _empty_?

His hand was over my shoulder a moment later, and I looked up to regard his flaming irises curiously. "It will fill again, so do not fret," he promised, "Someday. When you remember what it is that you have forgotten."

How cryptic... How could I possibly come to remember something I did not _remember_ ever remembering? Or _forgetting_, for that matter? My temples pulsed in agony and this over-analysis, and I gripped my head. What was the source of this _pain_? It was maddening!

"My being's presence inside of your body is too powerful for your soul to harbor, for the time-being," that smooth voice explained simply, as if describing the events of his day so far. "Shadows are not adapted to confinement, Little One. Remember this." I nod. His bloody eyes turned to me, serious and demanding undivided attention. I gave him just that, a little unnerved by the intensity in those ruby gems.

"Until your body, mind, and soul have grown accustomed to their inhabitance within, I ask that you _please_ try to refrain from large outbursts of emotion, such as anger or grief. What you are feeling is directly connected to me, and therefore, my Shadow Magic. If you, or some outer-world force, agitates or threatens them, they _will_ react. Most likely in a very _violent_ manner. Heed my words, Hikari-" his posture straightened substantially, and I felt my own struggling to not shrink in on itself "-if you do not learn to control your new abilities, your Light will be overpowered, and consumed."

I swallow hard, hands twitching in an attempt to stifle the extreme urge to tremble and cower. "M-Meaning...?" I managed, blinking owlishly. His eyes are still stern, but also caring, powerful, confident, and... dare I say... _concerned_? For _me_?

"You _will_ fall to insanity," he murmurs, much more somber, "And, eventually... They _will_ kill you."

I feel my breath hitch sharply. I nearly choke on it, in my sudden burst of fear. I... I did not want to die! I-I wanted to _leave_ this place. I wanted to _live_. I want... I wanted to be _me_! For at least a moment, I wanted to be who I was. An individual, unique and special and irreplaceable. To live as myself, instead of this previously-proclaimed 'Specimen' _They_ had labeled me as.

My eyes narrowed instinctively. I hate Them.

By the _Gods_, how I _loathed_ Their very Existences.

The pulsing in my head jolted into a nauseating migraine, making my hands dart to clutch over my temples on pure instinct, to attempt at blocking out this new, unbearable agony. I groaned lowly.

Then, there are hands setting over my shoulders. They squeezed, enough for discomfort, but not to cause actual pain. It startled me, and I look up. His eyes were amused, yet agitated. "What did I _just_ say?" he chuckled, the sound powerful as the distant rumbling of thunder. I swallowed, mustering up a feeble smile.

"_G-Gomenasai_, Yami-sama..."

Red eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and faint disapproval. "There will be no formalities between you and I, Little One." His voice was gentle. It made me feel safe. "You are _not_ just a body, to play host to my soul. As of the moment my Shadows chose your soul to merge with, you were my _mou hitori no ore_."

"Your other self...?" I managed within a wispy breath. Yami nodded, smirking.

"_Hai_."

I felt a powerful _tug_ towards this man. The urge to grab him, and hold him close. I relished in this powerful, defensive aura that radiated from his figure, like moonlight illuminating in darkened skies. Never before could I recall ever feeling so _secure_. Like everything was going to be alright, no matter what.

So I followed that insistent pull. Before I could comprehend what I was doing, I had subconsciously lurched forwards, and grasped a Yami's torso, so he was in my arms.

Well, as much as he could be, considering he was taller than me...

Either way, I found myself snuggling to him in a tight hug. I could feel the beginnings of warm moisture collecting over my lashes and cresting down my cheeks.

Was I... _crying_?

Why would I be crying? I did not feel sad... Just... happy. I felt _so happy._ Relieved. Like... somehow, somewhere, I _belonged_.

Yami's own strong, nurturing arms wrapped themselves, supportive, over my shoulders. I gave a content, happy sigh.

Yes. I _did_ belong. Somewhere...

_I just need to get there, first_.


	8. VII

**Fallen derped, guys! THIS chapter was originally meant to me chapter VI. XD**

**Oh well. :P**

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRUELY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter VII ~_**

* * *

A tall, defined man moved amongst a small team of medical staff, within the hospital wing of Domino City Laboratories. He was staring at a monitor with pleading, hazel eyes, dressed in nothing but a simple lab coat and dark slacks, a clipboard in-hand. His black, but slightly-graying hair was tousled and unkempt. A hand stroked absently over his finely-trimmed beard, before rubbing over his fatigue-highlighted face. His dark eyes - seemingly to be tinted burgundy in the light - darted to the prone figure, lain with disturbing tranquility, over a single, white-sheeted hospital bed.

A young man, no older than twenty-five, approached warily. His brown locks were neatly trimmed, styles to a prominent spike over his brow, but cut short at the sides and back of his head. Dark eyes skimmed over the figure, and back to the solemn elder. "Sir," he murmured, a bit hesitant.

The hazel-eyed man grunted, eyes never leaving the monitor screen. Taking it as a sign to continue, the younger spoke up once more.

"Condition of Specimen 64UG is stable. Vitals are responding, but there is a lack of brain activity that is concerning. Unfortunately - whether it br due to stress or mental trauma - the aftermath of the memory wipe has left the patient-"

"-Comatose."

"_N-Nande_?"

"Yuugi is comatose," the man clarified.

The youth shot him a look, one brow raising inquisitively. "Yuugi, Sir?"

"It's what he wanted to be called."

The technician made a small noise. The older continued to gaze at the monitor screen, recording the boy's vital signs. Pulse, seventy-five beats per minute; respiration, a bit sluggish and subdued, but not enough for concern; blood oxygenation, normal.

Brain activity... twenty-nine percent.

He turned his somber line of vision to the boy, laying motionless, on the medical gurney. His soft, childish features. Large, rounded eyelids that hid away innocent blue-violet irises. Downy, tousled golden hair, with loose spikes and long, wispy bangs that draped around hos features like the solidified rays of sun. So young, so innocent. Sorrow filled him. "This is all my doing..." he mumbled, soul steeped into a toxic pool of guilt.

A hand rested over his shoulder. "It isn't your fault, Akunumkanon-san," he consoled. "He knew the penalties of his actions. You were only doing your job."

Akunumkanon shook his head, face hidden by a calloused hand. "You don't understand, Hiroto-kun," he said mournfully, "You weren't _there_. The look in his eyes... I-I've never faced such an expression. In all of my thirty years at Domino Labs... I have never seen..." He slumped forward, free hand bracing against the metal bed-frame before him. "So terrified, so pleading... so _human_."

His fist and jaw clenched, teeth gritting.

"By the Gods, Honda, he is only a _child_! He is _human_! A-All this time, all those people... they were_ all human beings_! I-I... I don't understand that, why, after all this time, is it this _one_ Subject that has brought me to this realization!" Guilt was heavy in his voice, as well as anger, and self-loathing. "All of those minds, all those memories I stole away... he was the only who..."

The grip on his shoulder tightened supportive and consoling.

"_Doshite_..." he whispered. "That's what he said. _'Why'_." The Egyptian man began to pace. "I can't _stand_ this grief, t-this crushing regret! Hundreds of Specimens - _hundreds_! - of lives I have ruined. His face is constantly in my mind. That begging, hopeful, agonized expression. And the _screams_. Never before have I heard such sounds. They plague me, fill my sleep with nightmares and my waking hours with their phantom echos..."

Honda was gazing at his coworker as he began pacing across the small room, with nothing but the steady _beep...beep...beep... _the heart monitor to respond to his ranting. Hos concern was quickly rising for the Egyptian. He seemed ready to break apart at the seams...

"Kokuo-san," he spoke suddenly. Akunumkanon ceased his movement, haunted, hazel eye turning to the younger. Honda's face was lined with sympathy and worry. "Kokuo-san," he repeated, "Maybe you should take a break..."

"A... break?"

"_Hai_. L-Like a vacation! Go home, spend some time with your family..." There was a small, semi-tense smirk. "You look like you need it, old man!"

Akunumkanon gave a hearty, almost defeated sigh, but couldn't help but to smile. He rubbed at his neck, mind jumping at the opportunity of rest, heart sinking at the thought of leaving Yuugi behind. Alone in the medical ward. With slim chances of ever waking.

_All because of him_.

Grudgingly, bobbing his head in a stiff nod, the tanned man exhaled. "Alright," he eventually agreed, "I'll take a few days off. But keep me informed on the boy's condition."

Honda blinked, bemused by the request, but nodded.

"Will do, Sir."


	9. VIII

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRULY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter VIII ~_**

* * *

A yelp of pain left my lips as my fingers were sparked at by aggressive, black energy, my arm being forcefully snapped backwards. I shook the limb, nibbling gently at my lip in order to stifle a tiny whimper. Sensing my distress, a cold palm closed over my shoulder, slender fingers gently pushing into the fabric of what, oddly, appeared to be a medical gown. I released a miniscule sigh, drawing whatever comfort I could from the contact.

_**Focus, Yuugi,**_my Darkness instructed with infinite patience, _**Do not try to grab and force the Shadows to do your bidding, to obey your command. Instead, coax them to you. Talk to them. Let them know you mean no harm. Remember - Darkness is a free spirit. It cannot be contained, merely compressed. Borrowed, but not taken. It will only come to those it deems worth**__y._ I blink in mild understanding. The hand fades away to a simple, chilly vapor.

"You do not think I m worthy?" I murmur inquisitively, quietly, eyes fixing on the indigo-black energy that swirls before me. It shivered, like a wave. Was that a way of shaking its head in agreement to me? My lips fall into a small frown.

How do I prove my worth to _magic_? A mass collection of energy?

_Talk to them, Yami's words echo throughout my skull, reverberating into my thoughts. I settle my expression into simple blankness. Talk to them, ne'?_

I crouch down, and settle myself into a seated position, legs criss-crossed beneath the rest of my body. I blink again, still gazing at the masses of dark energy that clouded around me like an ebony-violet fog... How was one to speak with Shadows? What did they talk about? Obviously, this power had a sort of... consciousness, so... "You're kind of like me... aren't you?"

I see their majestic, fluid twirls still ever-so-slightly, as if taken aback. _"What do you mean?"_ I picture them asking, tones defensive, yet curious.

"You have a consciousness. You feel and you exist, like everything and everything else. Only... everyone else doesn't think that. They picture you as some stupid, lifeless object that is to either be scorned or feared, and that you feel no pain. That you have no emotions. Even though you _do_." I can feel a headache beginning to gnaw at my temples. Why do I feel as if I've said this before? "And... when they say these things... it hurts. It hurts bad. Inside and all over, and you just want it to _stop_, but it also want it to _stay_. Because it's that pain that tells you that you till exist. That you're still here... a-and that you have a reason to be, and..." My eyes began to sting and burn. My cheeks felt flushed, and my face unnaturally warm, while my voice began to tremble and crack. My hands move to grasp at my hair as a splitting migraine crackles across my skull, for some sort of leverage in this crazy, messed-up world I have been cursed to wander.

_It hurts! It hurts so **bad**!_

Fire is bolting up my body, searing every nerve. I feared to open my eyes, paranoid that I would see flames on my skin, engulfing me within their grasp. And... then...

It went away.

A long, soothing tentacle of pure, icy _cold _tickled over the skin of my fingers. It snakes its way down my arm, over my chest, my legs, my head, with the soothing fluidity of water. Extinguishing the fire. When I finally fought up the courage to pry open my eyelids, I did not see flames.

I saw _Shadows_.

Sinister, yet comforting, purple-navy tendrils of mist wrapping itself over my form like a soft vine. Numbing out the pain. I see that one such vine twirling around, and somehow I managed to recognize it as the bit of magic that had shocked my hand not even minutes earlier. It was now bobbing in front of my face, inches away from tickling my nose. Its figure shifted, and solidified. Cold, smoky waves morphed into one long, smooth trail of peculiarly-textured... skin? A pair of small, shiny orbs formed on the sides of an oval-shaped head. This new creature stared at me, before letting out a soft, drawn-out _hiss_. What looked like a hood of what I (somehow) knew to recognize as scales extended from the animal's head and neck. It was a snake. A cobra, to be exact.

The shadow-serpent had itself coiled in loose rings over my shoulders. Its weight... was more a presence, rather than that of an actual, physical _pressure._ Like Yami. Always there, always in contact, yet also _not_, at the same time. A forked tongue darted out from between scaled jaws, and flicked against my nose. I giggled, a smile spreading my lips in a natural impulse. I feel a thin, tapered tail sweep a slow line beneath my eye, wiping away a tear I was not aware I had shed. Reaching out a finger, I tentatively stroked the Shadow's curved plane of a head. It leaned up, towards my touch, and I smile again.

I feel an ethereal wind stir at my arms. Two of said limbs were suddenly around me, embracing me warmly from behind. I could feel my spine gently pressing into a toned, muscular chest and abdomen. "Well done, _aibou_," a voice whispered. It was Yami. His tone was filled with something that I dare to say represented pride. Pride in _me_.

"_Aibou_...?" I repeated slowly, and I glanced over my shoulder to look into those warm, crimson eyes.

He smirks, and nods. "My magic has accepted you as a conduit," his baritone voice murmurs, "We are partners. Each one half of a whole. I can see you accomplishing wondrous things, my Hikari."

I intake a tiny gasp of air, hope and happiness rising in my chest a my eyes widen. "R-Really?" I ask. He nods again. I cup a hand around the base of the cobras neck, and gently draw it closer. I touch my nose to the end of its slender, rounded snout with an eager "_Arigato_!" I feel a pleased vibration pass down the ringlets of scales that draped over my neckline like jewelry.

I pause for a moment, and allow the Shadows to return to their mystic, intangible haze. They danced gracefully down the length of my arm, before spinning off from my fingers, to drift in a tidy, circular border around Yami and I. "Does this mean... I can wake up now?"

My Darkness nods, his wonderfully red eyes igniting with an exuberant, impassioned fire. "_Hai_," he replies simply, reaching a hand for me to take. So, I do. I grasp my palm firmly over his own. Yami's hands are lukewarm, and surprisingly soft, with only slight callusing to the pads of his fingers and palm. Enough fr a light texture, but not for it to be grotesque or unpleasant. He pulls me to him, his hand still gripping mine as his free arm wraps over my midsection, crossing just below my shoulder blades.

The Darkness speeds in small circles around the two of us, stirring up a spiritual breeze. I can feels its energy crackling up my body. From the ends of my toes, to the very tip of every last hair upon my scalp, I can feel the raw, uncontrollable _power_. Seeping into every last follicle and pore on my body. each, cell, supercharged with this new-found gift. My recently-obtained mental abilities. My eyes flutter close, and I breathe in, embracing the Shadows. Welcoming them into my soul. I feel my consciousness simultaneously begin to fade to the reaches of my mind, yet somehow reawaken into the living world outside.

And when I open my eyes again...

I see nothing but a hospital ceiling, and a chaotic gale of wind and debris enveloping the air around me.

* * *

_**Beep...beep...beep...be-beep...**_

It was the independent jump in a steady drone of the heart monitor that first alerted one Honda Hiroto. He looked up from his charts and clipboard sharply, watching the little green line as it spiked once more. His team of medical staff rushed to life, taking vital signs from the Specimen as he began his ascent into the waking world. Mentally, the young doctor breathed a sigh of immense relief. He had feared the Subject 64UG-... That _Yuugi_, wouldn't be waking up.

But, as his brain activity increased, as did Honda's hope.

"Neural activity has increased to thirty-five percent," a young nurse reported, the beginnings of a smile tracing over her made-up lips. They watched, eager, as it continued to rise, at astonishingly rapid rates.

_**Forty-seven percent.**_

**_Fifty-five percent._**

**_Seventy-eight percent._**

**_One-hundred-five percent._**

**_Honda froze. His eyes went wide._**

**_One-hundred-thirty-one percent._**

_How..._

_**One-hundred-sixty-seven percent.**_

_**Two-hundred percent.**_

"How can he be using brain mass that _isn't there_?!"

_**ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!**_

And, as the alarms were set off, and scarlet emergency lights flashed, all Hell broke loose.


	10. IX

**Title: **_Only Human_

**Pairing:** _Blindshipping (Atemu/Yuugi)_

**Rating:**_ T_

**Genre:**_ Angst, Fantasy, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Tragedy_

**Full Summary:**_ Scientists have succeeded in creating 'test-tube' life. The perfect, model citizens of humanoid existence. They are meant to listen, be quiet, and obey. Because, after all, they cannot TRULY feel, can they? __Subject 64UG was one of these such creations. One of many. Completely replaceable. A freak of nature. He didn't belong._

_But, only when one experiment goes horribly wrong, will they realize just how perfectly right, and grossly incorrect, they truly are._

* * *

_**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.**_

**_Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way._**

**_Or I'll send Kuriboh after you! Rawr!_**

* * *

**_~ Chapter IX ~_**

* * *

Blaring alarms and the strobe of emergency lights grated at my senses as they returned to me. My long period of rest had sapped away much of the strength from my body, making movements lethargic and sluggish. I struggled to sit up, feeling a cold breeze tickle its way across my back, as if it were easing me upwards. I saw a tendril of darkness whisk past my cheek, to join in with the gale around me. Chaos had been stirred in the form of loose wires, metallic tools, heavy machinery, and the screams of people. Of _Them_.

I hold up a hand, fingers splayed to the air.

The Shadows halt, instead drifting like black fog around the messy room. Medical tools decorate the floor, some sharper objects even imbedding themselves into the wood-and-plaster walls, marring their stark whiteness with gouges and long scratch marks. Papers fluttered to the tile, while the loud, irritable buzzing of emergency alarms still sounded. I frown, and wave my arm to the offending siren. It was docile for a moment, before crackling, black electricity seeped from its speakers, and crushed the object into silence. However, I could still hear more of them sounding outside of this hospital room.

It wouldn't be long, I realized, before more of Them came. Coming to stop me. To hurt me. To trap me.

Shadows were not meant to be contained.

I pull the IV and wire from my body with ease, taking vague notice of a loose, gray-green gown that covered my body, opposed to the form-fitting jumpsuit I remember being dressed in when last conscious...

How long ago was then? Days? Weeks? Maybe even _years_? I do not feel as if years have gone by. But, then again, how would I have been able to tell, anyways? My hand courses up through my hair, which I am surprised to find as feeling extra-spiky and stiff. I reach back, and grasp a strand gingerly, pulling it over my head to rest before my eyes. I was mystified to be met with the colors of black and maroon, opposed to the usual solid, platinum blonde that (at least) my bangs seemed to have retained.

I blink, and look up curiously as a skittering noise reaches my ears. It sounded like something made of metal skidding over the floor. I see one of Them, crawling none-to-subtly over the tile, to what I could identify as a telephone. Our eyes meet, and he cringes, before scrambling to his feet, lunging for the device. I glare at him, irritated at his attempts to contact others of _his _Kind, and swing out an arm. A surge of energy flared forward to meet his bod, and the poor fool was knocked to the ground with a hard _thump_. I see every being in the room flinch and cower as I stood up, swinging my legs off the uncomfortable cot I had been resting on. I stumbled for a moment, my legs and feet not quite accustomed to being used yet, before managing my balance, and striding past them, to the doorway. I placed a hand against the cold metal, looking for some sort of way to remove it from my path. It is solid. I glance to the man I had knocked down.

He whimpered, eyes frightened. "D-Don't hu-hurt me," he begged, rather pathetically. "I-I have a fa-family!'

I stop, and study him He was a rather unimpressive red hair, and dark green eyes. Little-to-no muscle mass. Hardly threatening. "I care not for your personal affairs," I inform passively, "I only ask you to please unlock the door." I motion to my steel blockade. I _could _crush it... but I didn't want to push myself too much. I could already feel my energy beginning to drain away. He does not move and inch. I see his arm shift. Suspicion strikes through me.

"_Onegai_," I insist quietly.

He narrows his emerald eyes. "Like I would set a monster like _you_ loose!" he spat, before jerking forward. There is a flash of something reflective, and pain suddenly grips my right leg. I gasp raggedly at the sensation, and he grins victoriously. A scalpel is withdrawn from my flesh, and I shudder at the bizarre sensation, seeing that it is slicked in scarlet blood.

_My _blood.

I look down, eyes wide, to a sizable gash, now scoring its en flamed path down the side of my leg, trickling shiny rivulets of red. It had already begun to pool around my foot. For a moment, I am concerned. Then, I see Darkness enclosing over the wound, effectively sealing the laceration shut. I return my gaze to the man, who's smirk has now dropped. He turned ashen. I smirk deviously at him.

"You shouldn't have done that~" I sang, feeling the Shadows seep through my very core. Enveloping my mind.

_Injured Little Master,_ I could hear them hiss, _Punish the assaultant. Must punish!_

I begin to chuckle, their influence taking me over. The chuckle rolled into a full-out laugh, as I re-summoned my magical abilities. The shadow-serpent manifested, and coiled itself up my body, to rest over my neck. It flared out its hood with a venomous hiss. I see a golden mark, patterned into the back of its head, in the shape of an eye. It began to glow, much to my amazement, and I shivered at the raw _power_ that cascaded throughout my body and soul. My laugh becomes louder, more maniac, finding a strange thrill at the unadulterated _terror _in their faces. It is a feeling that is not mine. The atmosphere was shrill and menacing. Borderline insane. And, Gods, how I _loved _it.

"Why should _I _spare you," I manage to get through between my chortling, "I-If _you_ just sta-stabbed me? That hurt! _Heheheheh_!" Anger and euphoria is pulsating through my blood, sending my magic haywire. I swing my arms, sending out a long, black tentacle crashing into the wall. I have trapped the man beneath it, and I can feel the Shadows' pleasure as he wretches in pain, before it melded into pure rage. I could feel my control swiftly slipping away. It frightened me.

"_Let. Us. Out._" The voice that escapes me is not my own. It is under-toned in a dark snarl, a serpent's hissing tongue.

"N-N... Never..." he groans, and I growl, the sound low and threatening.

**_Aibou! Control _****_yourself!_**_ Y_ami's voice screams into my head. My fists clench, nails digging into the skin until it broke. Droplets of crimson were squeezed beneath my grip.

"I-I... I c-can't!" I choke out quietly, wishing desperately to _crush _this roach I had caught in my trap.

**_You _****must****_, Yuugi! You'll die!_**

Fear crackles in my head, but only a segment of it was my own. Another, was belonging to that of my Darkness. With a cry of fury, I lash out, sending a pulsing ball of back electricity-like magic at the doorway, venting out a portion or my anger into the attack. It crashed into the steel border, and exploded out into the hallway beyond, clearing my way. Frustration slightly spent, I could feel the Shadows settled a little bit. Panting heavily, I quickly dropped the man that had assaulted me, and rush from the room, being sure to crush their telephone as a precaution. Alarms were still sounding outside, and the hallways were swarmed in crimson light and frantic bodies. They were either the full-body suits of Specimens, or the white coats belonging to _Them_. I looked to my dull, pale, pastel-green medical gown. I would stick out too much.

I needed a change of clothes.

Moving quickly, I slunk along the halls, and sneaked into the nearest room I could find. It was filled with linens and bedsheets and pillows, like an over-sized closet. With some digging, I managed to find a few pairs of what could be considered _normal _clothing. It consisted of a uniform black shirt, with a navy jacket and pants.

Ignoring the strange, niggling sense of familiarity at this uniform, as if I were... _forgetting _something, I quickly stripped off the one-piece gown, and wiggling into the - somewhat loose - articles of clothing. They were a little long, as if made for someone taller than I was, but fitted nicely to my overall physique. My heels clipped at the ends of the pant-legs, but that was fine. It would help hide away my bare feet. I only hoped it was enough to keep people from recognizing me. But... then again, those people in the hospital room I had woken up in had gotten a pretty clear indication of what I looked like...

Oh well. Maybe changing would stall my discovery long enough to escape.

Upon re-entering the halls, I saw a group of Subjects shuffling past. Deciding it would be better to group with them, instead of conspicuously wandering the Facility by myself, I ducked in between the crowd of four people. Maybe they knew where they were going, and could lead me to the outside.

Excitement made me grin. I have never been outside of the Facility before. At least, from what I could remember.

"_Yuugi_?" a voice gasped with surprise. I looked up sharply, to see amber eyes taking in my every feature, framed by blonde hair.

_JE! _my mind gasped happily, before an arm grabbed mine, and the group quickly ushered me into a less-populated hallway. Hands gripped my shoulders, and JE was scrutinizing me with a sort of protectiveness that could be considered brotherly.

"God, we all thought ya' were 's good 's dead!" the boy exclaimed harshly under his breath, before drawing me into a quick hug, "How'd ya' get outta yer room? Where'd ya' get da' clothes from?"

I was silent, studying them all with distrust. I knew JE, to an extent. But these other people were strangers to me. I bit my lip uncertainly.

As if sensing my unease, one of the newcomers - a boy with white hair and chocolate brown eyes - smiled to me. "I'm 06RY," he introduced himself, before continuing to the other two, "The tan one with the crazy hair is 19ML, and the girl with blue eyes is 16AU."

Without thinking, I asked, "What kind of names are those?" Yes, it was a rude way to word it, but I was curious. "They're strange." I was greeted with puzzled looks.

"They're the identification codes we were given when we were created," AU replied bemusedly. "What about you? How did a Specimen get an actual _name_ like Yuugi?"

I shrugged. "I... made it. I made it up," I admitted, a bit sheepishly. "It's all I can remember. But, I'm a person, so I should have a person's name... _64UG _does not sound like a name. It sound like something that can't feel. Like a robot. So I made a name for myself. Or... er... someone else did...?" I trailed. Bronze and red flashed into my mind. Spiked hair. I groaned, and gripped at my head. Pain hammered its way into the bone of my skull.

"Yuugi, you alright there, pal?" JE asked, his hands squeezing over my arms, the touch supportive. I could not answer; it hurt too much. I settled with shaking my head, but the action only made things worse. I hissed in pain, and stumbled to the ground as my brain rattled violently against the confines of my head. Gritting my teeth, my breathe hissed between them, as I felt _something _try to enter my memory. But _what_?

"Yuugi?" they were questioning frantically, "Yuugi!"

_Yuugi..._

_Game..._

_I am... Their game... I am me..._

* * *

_"Game?" a deep voice asked.._

_"No. U-G, not yuugi. Subjects are identified by serial codes, nothing more. They do not have names." Prissy, matter-of-fact. Cold and uncaring._

_"Why not?" Defensive, baritone. It sounded as if it were offended._

Yami? _I thought absently._

_No... not __**Darkness**__... Light. Morning._

**_Morning Star._**

**_Atemu._**

_"Enlighten them."_

* * *

I gasped raggedly, breath entering my lungs in pained gasps. I realized that my body was twitching, convulsing, on the floor. My throat burned, as if I had been... screaming...? It felt as if it were on fire.

I untangled my fingers, ever-so-slowly, from my hair, unable to control my shaking and trembling and panic. I glanced up, almost lazily, expecting to see JE or RY looking back with worry in their eyes.

Instead, I saw the metallic, black muzzle of a _gun_, aimed directly at the space between my eyes. My breath caught in my lungs with a painful hitch, as I watched as JE, RY, ML, and AU squirmed within the iron grips of Facility guardsmen.

Oh, yes. I had been screaming.

And it had brought Them _straight to me._

* * *

**Sorry for the cliffhanger. XD  
**

**Updates are going to, unfortunately, stop again for a while. They only reason I updated the past four chapters is because I spent the night a friend's house and she was kind enough to let me type up some of my story, so I could update my fics. :)**

**So, a special thanks to my own _aibou_! Thank you SOOOO much! :D**

* * *

**Reviews? OwO  
**


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